Personal audio devices, including wireless telephones, such as mobile/cellular telephones, cordless telephones, mp3 players, and other consumer audio devices, are in widespread use. Such personal audio devices may include circuitry for driving a pair of headphones or one or more speakers. Such circuitry often includes a power amplifier for driving an audio output signal to headphones or speakers. Generally speaking, a power amplifier amplifies an audio signal by taking energy from a power supply and controlling an audio output signal to match an input signal shape but with a larger amplitude.
One example of an audio amplifier is a class-D amplifier. A class-D amplifier (also known as a “switching amplifier”) may comprise an electronic amplifier in which the amplifying devices (e.g., transistors, typically metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistors) operate as electronic switches. In a class-D amplifier, a signal to be amplified may be converted to a series of pulses by pulse-width modulation, pulse-density modulation, or another method of modulation, such that the signal is converted into a modulated signal in which a characteristic of the pulses of the modulated signal (e.g., pulse widths, pulse density, etc.) is a function of the magnitude of the signal. After amplification with a class-D amplifier, the output pulse train may be converted to an unmodulated analog signal by passing through a passive low-pass filter, wherein such low-pass filter may be inherent in the class-D amplifier or a load driven by the class-D amplifier. Class-D amplifiers are often used due to the fact that they may be more power efficient than linear analog amplifiers, in that class-D amplifiers may dissipate less power as heat in active devices as compared to linear analog amplifiers.
Typically, a closed-loop pulse width modulation (PWM) amplifier is chosen in order to provide accurate load voltage with desirable Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) and Power Supply Rejection Ratio (PSRR). A closed-loop PWM amplifier typically takes an analog voltage input and a sensed feedback voltage signal which are fed through a closed-loop analog PWM modulator to drive voltage on the speaker load.
However, an option to alternatively drive loads using a single PWM amplifier circuit in either open-loop or closed-loop depending on the specific application may be desirable. When using such a single PWM amplifier circuit, perceptible audio artifacts may occur when switching between open-loop operation and closed-loop operation, and thus, it may be desirable to reduce or eliminate such audio artifacts.
In addition, in such a system including a dual-path playback system switchable between an open-loop playback path and a closed-loop playback path, a low-dropout (LDO) regulator may be used as a power supply to a driver stage of each of the open-loop playback path and the closed-loop playback path. An LDO regulator may be used to maximize a power supply rejection ratio for the system, but because the LDO regulated voltage may be lower than its input supply voltage, attenuation may be introduced into the output signal in both the open-loop playback path and closed-loop playback path. Accordingly, effective compensation is needed for both of the playback paths.